Designing an Indigenous Smart Parliament Framework for Iran’s IslamicConsultative Assembly in Light of the Experiences of Digital Parliaments
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61838/jgsc.47Keywords:
Smart Parliament, Digital Governance, Electronic Participation, Algorithmic Transparency, Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, Data-driven PolicymakingAbstract
Digital transformation has created new opportunities in legislative institutions, introducing the concept of a “Smart Parliament”
as a modern model of legislative governance. This concept extends beyond mere instrumentation/digitization, emphasizing
data-driven decision-making, greater transparency, and more effective accountability. The present study aims to design an
indigenous framework for realizing a Smart Parliament in Iran by conducting a systematic analysis of the current status of the
Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis) and a comparative analysis of experiences in leading countries, such as Estonia and
New Zealand.
Based on thematic analysis, the findings identify five key components necessary for realizing a Smart Parliament:
technological infrastructure, data governance and algorithmic transparency, electronic citizen participation, institutional
renewal, and policy learning. Accordingly, a five-layer, phased model was designed. By integrating the systemic framework of
policy analysis with an institutional digital maturity model, this design is adaptable to Iran’s specific cultural, legal, and
technical context. This model conceptualizes parliamentary transformation not merely as a technological shift, but as an
institutional, cultural, and interactive process.
Addressing existing gaps in technological infrastructure, data governance, transparency, and public participation within the
Iranian Parliament, this research offers strategic recommendations, including drafting a parliamentary digital transformation
roadmap, enacting legislation on data governance and algorithmic transparency, establishing legislative innovation centers, and
developing public participatory platforms. By synthesizing theories of digital governance, algorithmic transparency, and
institutional renewal, this study strives to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for the transition toward smart, data-
driven, and participatory legislation in Iran.
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